Australian Rangers Capture Crocodile After 8-Year Search

A 700 kilogram crocodile called Rex - who is one of the world’s largest crocodiles - cruises around his enclosure after receiving his first feed after emerging from three months of hibernation at WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo on October 3, 2012. Throughout winter, it is common for crocodiles to enter a period of inactivity where they survive on their existing energy stores inside their body but once the weather starts warming up, so does their appetite – to indicate their need to replenish their energy. Rex, who has been a resident of WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo since 2009, was a so-called ‘rogue’ crocodile who was captured and placed into a crocodile farm near Darwin in the Northern Territory when his taste for local pet dogs drew him too close to the human population. AFP PHOTO/William WEST (Photo credit should read WILLIAM WEST/AFP/GettyImages)

The crocodile, estimated to be more than 60 years old, was found lurking near a boat ramp in the Katherine River. At 4.71 meters (15.45 feet), the croc is the longest-ever trapped in the region.

The previous record holder was a 4.6 meter-long croc captured in 2011.

Though the average saltwater crocodile is about 5 meters (17 feet) long, according to National Geographic, captures of this size are rare, park authorities said.

Wildlife officials have been searching for the crocodile since it was first spotted in 2010, according to Tracey Duldig, the acting director of Wildlife Operations in the Northern Territory. They sought to capture and isolate it so in order to prevent it from “interacting with humans.”
The reptile will now “be taken to a croc farm in the Katherine region,” she said.

Saltwater crocodiles, affectionately referred to as salties, can be spotted throughout the Northern Territory.

So far this year, 187 of them have been captured in the Top End — the northernmost part of the Northern Territory, according to the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife website, which advises visitors to be “crocwise.”

“Croc danger is real. Do not become complacent or risk your life,” it warns.